15 comments:

The strange thing is that I am torn between worrying about these kids well-being, and admiring their creativity and pluck. I mean, when I was a teenager, I would have had no idea that something like this could work.

Kids, take my advice and stay away from Morning Glory seeds! Sure, Heavenly Blue and Crimson Rambler make a classic combination. But they're impossible to deadhead and they go to seed and next spring you'll find you've got a gazillion vines growing all around your peonies! Play it safe. Plant a Clematis. Take it from me. I've been there.

I have mixed feelings about articles like this. Its good that the mainstream media covers an issue like this that is and will likely remain mostly under the radar of mainstream consciousness. On the other hand, the article misses an opportunity to really explore the issue and educate people. The article says professionals are not really concerned that kids will die from this but that it indicates a disposition to using recreational drugs in general.

Then what are the emergency room visits for? One danger comes from mixing lots of recreational drugs (including morning glory seeds), over the counter medicines (cough syrup), and herbal remedies (St. John's Wart) with MAOI anti-depressants. The article could have told us that and given us examples of MAOIs since most people couldn't name one because they are rarely used today.

Another danger is panic or the predictable consequences of hallucinating and not knowing what is real. The article could have told us about how often these problems arise and what might exacerbate them (e.g., not educating yourself before taking any drug, the difficulty in finding reliable information even if you do try to educate yourself, being in public or driving while using drugs like this).

Another danger is ingestion of the herbicides and pesticides that are often applied to these seeds.

The theme of the article seems to be that this is a new drug problem that parents should be afraid of because their kids could end up in the emergency room and start taking other drugs, which just seems like the same boilerplate drug story that is always told.

It seems to me that if a goal of articles like this is ultimately to protect kids from their own foolishness or ignorance, a better approach would be to arm parents (who are presumably the ones reading WaPo) with real, honest information about what dangers are posed. Or maybe I'm being naive or expecting too much of the media?

"A more serious call came from hospital emergency officials who needed to know how to treat an 18-year old who had taken seeds along an antidepressant and cough syrup. His heart rate spiked to 150, his body went rigid and his mind reeled with hallucinaations."

Someone should send Bill Frist a video of kids tripping on Morning Glory seeds. He can take the opportunity to propose controlling them (to protect the children). Seems like the kind of thing he (in particular) would be into.

To all those out there who are concerned about irresponsible use of morning glory seeds as a hallucinogen....dont worry about protecting your children from morning glory seeds. the seeds know very well how to protect themselves from your children. the spirit of the morning glory is just proud enough that if you eat of him with ill intent, or in a disrespectful way, he reserves the right to lay you low with pain and nausea. if you wish to 'get high' on morning glories, it had better be because you are trying to better yourself by opening your mind. if your intent is to abuse the plant for your mere amusement by eating its children, its seeds, then be prepared to pay the price. And pay you will, respect or pain.